United Nations Environment Programme puts forward case for eco-innovation
The case for eco-innovation is put forward in a new United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report, The Business Case for Eco-Innovation, developed as part of the UNEP Eco-innovation Project. The report, intended for a private sector audience, addresses companies that are confronted by growing market and regulatory pressures in the face of dwindling resources and environmental degradation. Providing contemporary examples of companies that have benefited from eco-innovation through accessing new markets, the report outlines methods for enhancing resilience, technical capacity, and increasing profitability.
With specific emphasis on the relevance of eco-innovation for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the report establishes adaptability and flexibility as being the key to the new consumer-driven demand for eco-innovation. "Unless a company is looking beyond its gates to assess sustainability risks and opportunities throughout its value chain, and in cooperation with key partners, it will be incapable of unlocking the transformational potential to deal with growing external pressures," says Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director.
Supporting the affirmations of the UNEP report is a recently produced Policy paper on eco-innovation and Policy recommendations for boosting eco-innovation by INTERREG IVC. The INTERREG IVC programme aims to improve the effectiveness of local and regional policies and instruments through the exchange of experiences among partners in the field.
For more information, download The Business Case for Eco-Innovation.